Christoph Martin Wieland

German poet and writer whose work spans the major trends of his age, from rationalism and the Enlightenment to classicism and pre-Romanticism. He was a professor and writer of poetry, plays, verse and novels. Educated at the University of Tubingen, his early works mainly consisted of religious poetry. In 1758, he began a period of "free-thinking," writing his first play, "Lady Johanna Gray." He followed this with 22 translations of Shakespearean plays, 1762-1766, making Shakespeare better known in Germany. In 1767, his first novel was published and in 1769, he became the Professor of Philosophy at the University of Erfurt. From 1773-1810, he founded and edited "The German Mercury," which became a leading literary journal. He also translated Greek and Latin classics. Wieland's considered greatest masterpiece was a witty, sophisticated verse romance called "Oberon" released in Germany in 1780 and translated in 1798. He died 20 January 1813, Weimar, at the age of 79. Link to Wikipedia biography